Oil-refining apparatus



F. E. WELLMAN.

OIL REFINING APPARATUS.

APPLICATION FILED AUG- 1,347,56?, Patented July 27, 1920,

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\ II! 1 I L 1 a ml UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

FRANK E. WELLMAN, OF KANSAS CITY, KANSAS, ASSIGNOR TO THE KANSAS CITY GASOLINE COMPANY, OF KANSAS CITY, KANSAS, A CORPORATION OF KANSAS.

OIL-REFINING APPARATUS.

Application filed August 1. 1916.

T 0 all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, FRANK E. VVELLMAN, a citizen of the United States, residing at Kansas City, in the county of \Vyandotteand State of Kansas, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Oil-Refining Apparatus, of which the following is a specification, reference being had therein to the accompanying drawing.

My invention relates to the refining of mineral oils and has for its object the improvement of certain apparatus and methods of operation heretofore employed. This application is a continuation in part of my rior application, Serial No. 96,260, filed May 8, 1916. In said prior application, I have illustrated and described a pipe-still or retort, in which oil is subjected to high temperature under a suitable pressure to produce cracking. Oil is fed to the pipestill through a pipe line by means of a pump,

'or equivalent agency, and is withdrawn from the pipe-still through an outlet or discharge pipe leading to a fractionator or condensing system of suitable design. The process is substantially a continuous one, and the invention claimed in said prior application resides particularly in the structure of the coil or still. as such. Said coil is composed of a plurality of sections welded together so as to form a continuous and homogeneous tubular coil with provision for readily cleaning out any tar, coke or other deposits which may remain in the still after a period of operation.

In the present case the invention resides in the provision of a cracking coil of large diameter, an inlet pipe of smaller diameter,

' means to pump oil through the inlet pipe to expand into the cracking coil, a cooling coil of uniform diameter at the outlet end of the cracking coil, and a reduced pipe containing a controlling valve, with a cooling bath for the cooling coil.

My invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawing, in which:

The figure is a conventional diagram showing a pipe-still with heating means, and means for feeding oil and vapor separately or together to the still.

Referring to the drawing, the numeral 1 indicates a superheater or pipe-still, consisting of a coil 2 formed of sections welded together at 3, and inclosed within furnace walls 4.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Serial No. 112.531.

The furnace is provided with the usual arch bars 5 and oil-jet 6 or other means for heating. The internal diameter of the pipe 2 may be taken as five inches. At each end the coil is provided with a flanged coupling 7 and 8, the coupling 7 serving to connect the feed pipe 9, and the coupling 8, to the discharge pipe 10. The feed pipe 9 may be taken as having internal diameter of 11} inches. This pipe is branched at the T 11, one branch 12 going to a pump 13, the suction pipe 14 of which draws its supply from the tank 15, containing crude oil or heavy distillate. The other branch pipe 16 passes to a compressor 17, from which suction pipe 18 extends to a primary vaporizer or boiler 19, heated by a furnace 20. The discharge pipe 10 extends to and is connected with a suitable condenser or fractionator, from which the usual connections are made to a receiving tank or tanks. These tanks may receive only the lighter hydrocarbons after condensation, being those which have a relatively low boiling point, the heavier products being trapped off and returned to the tank 15 or boiler 19, in any suitable known manner.

In operating the system, as a liquid system, the valve 21 is supposed to be closed, and the valve 22 open. The pump 13 is started and sufficient oil is pumped into the pipe 2 to, partially fill the same, air or gas, if any, being at the same time permitted to escape through the discharge pipe by manipulation of the pressure valve on the condenser side, which is indicated by numeral 23. This valve being closed, the furnace heat is started, and the temperature of the coil 2 and its contents is raised to the desired point. If the pipe is not initially filled with oil, there will be partial vaporization as the temperature of the still rises, and I have found that this assists in quickly raising the temperature of the body of oil throughout the pipe. The same results may be attained by partially opening valve 21, and forcing the vapor from the boiler 19 into the pipe 2 where it mixes with the oi] and assists in rapidly conducting the heat through the body thereof.

The valve 21 being closed, and the tem Patented July 27, 1920.

perature of the still being raised to the desure maintained-as for example 800 lbs.-

to crack the oil in the pipe. By a manipulation of the valve 23, the process is rendered uniform, and after a short period of operation, the action of the pump 13 causes the pipe 2 to remain filled with the body of oil, carrying within it in compression the fixed gases, if any, due to the superheating and cracking.

The pipe 10 is carried through a cooling bath as shown at the bottom of the figure, to prevent excessive heat reaching the valve 23. No real condensation takes place therein, however, the condensing system being outside. I

I do not care to elaborate a theory of operation for this system, but instead, confine myself to the actual functioning of the apparatus in practice. It is necessary, however, in order that those skilled in this art should fully understand the nature of the operation, and the reasons for the described proportion and arrangement of parts, to point out that the present structure involves a compromise between pipe-stills and systems heretofore proposed, such as that of Renard, and the systems employing cylindrical retorts or drum stills heretofore known. Such pipe-stills with their feed and discharge pipes and connections, to the best of my knowledge, have always been given a substantially uniform diameter and bore throughout, and by reason of the inability to resist high pressures, their internal diameter or bore has always been very small, not exceeding 1% or 2 inches, and

more frequently only a fraction of an inch. With such a small bore, it is impossible to attain a sufficient heating surface, and a sufiicient time of exposure to cracking temperature, without a length of pipe absolutely impracticable for a commercial purpose. On the other hand, the use of a drum still or retort, is equally impracticable, for the reasons, first, that the heating surface is inadequate; second, that the time element is necessarily enormously increased, and finally, it is practically impossible to construct a drum or cylinder of a large enough diameter, which will also be strong enough to resist the high pressures employed.

My pipe-still is of larger diameters than the feed-pipe, and therefore possesses the advantage of increased content, and by thus increasing the content, I am enabled to correspondingly decrease its. length.

Having thus described my invention what I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

Apparatus for cracking hydrocarbon oil, which includes a cracking coil of large diameter, an inlet pipe of smaller diameter, means to pump oil through said inlet pipe, to expand into the cracking coil, a cooling coil of uniform diameter .at the outlet end of the cracking coil, and a reduced pipe containing a controlling valve at the end of said cooling coil, with a cooling bath for said cooling coil.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature.

FRANK E. WELLMAN. 

